When Ling Ruoke woke up, there was only a dim light in the ward. Because she had requested a private room, no other mothers or family members disturbed her sleep. Being alone in the room after waking up, she felt a slight pang of sadness. The anesthesia in her wound had worn off, and the pain, combined with the feeling of being left alone, stirred up a thousand emotions of resentment, almost bringing her to tears.
When Huo Qingfeng arrived, he saw his wife looking pitiful, with tears welling up in her eyes, and his heart ached terribly. He rushed to the bedside. "Wife, does your wound hurt?"
When Ling Ruoke saw him appear, the tears she had been holding back immediately fell. She looked at him with teary eyes, sniffled, and said pitifully, "Husband, it hurts, it hurts so much."
Huo Qingfeng wanted to hug her, but her wound was still hurting, and he didn't dare move her body, otherwise it would aggravate the pain. So he could only sit down on the edge of the bed, lean down and press his face against hers, then kiss her. "Wife, it's my fault. When you're better, you can beat me up, and you can pay me back tenfold for how much pain you felt giving birth, okay?"
Ling Ruoke touched his hand, not daring to move her arm too much. "Actually, it doesn't hurt that much. I just feel sad because I can't see you when I wake up."
"I went back to get myself ready, because I was afraid you wouldn't recognize me as your husband if you woke up and saw this wild man. Is it very painful? Should I ask the doctor to give you another anesthetic?" He felt heartache even when he saw her frown, let alone the fact that she was in so much pain.
"It's okay. Besides, anesthesia isn't something you can just get whenever you want, and too much of it will definitely have side effects." The pain wasn't actually that bad; Ling Ruoke was just trying to act cute.
Huo Qingfeng kissed the back of her hand, always wishing he could hold her close to his body because of her thoughtfulness and consideration, never letting her suffer any pain or grievance again. "Can you fall asleep? It won't hurt if you fall asleep. Why don't you take a nap? Your husband will stay here with you, we won't go anywhere."
"Okay." Ling Ruoke smiled slightly, looked at him quietly for a while, and slowly closed her eyes. She had been in pain all day and was exhausted. She had only woken up because of the pain in her wound; in fact, she was still very tired.
Perhaps it was because he was by my side that the grievances disappeared, and even the wounds seemed to hurt less. I was really exhausted, and before long I actually fell asleep.
Once her breathing had calmed and evened out, Huo Qingfeng finally breathed a sigh of relief. He reached out and gently stroked her still pale face. After gazing at her quietly for a long time, he finally knelt down beside the bed to rest for a moment.
When Yang Ziyun returned from the nursery, she saw the couple resting at the door, so she quietly left and went to find a place to rest.
As dawn broke, Huo Qingfeng woke up. Seeing his wife sleeping soundly, a gentle smile appeared on his face.
With her husband by her side, Ling Ruoke slept soundly, only waking up groggily when it was broad daylight. Her wound still ached a little, but it wasn't as unbearable anymore.
Not long after, the nurse brought the baby to her to see and let her breastfeed.
The child's face hasn't fully developed yet, but this is her own child, the crystallization of her and her husband's love. With this feeling, she finds the child beautiful no matter how she looks at it.
Huo Qingfeng hadn't changed, but he would never dare to say anything nonsense in front of his wife. Whenever she said something looked good, he would simply agree, wearing a cheerful and proud expression.
The nurse wanted Ling Ruoke to breastfeed, but to Ling Ruoke's great distress, besides a little colostrum, she had practically no milk. The baby suckled for a while, using all its might, but still couldn't get any milk. So the baby spat out the nipple, pouted, and cried out in a heart-wrenching wail.
Seeing him crying loudly, Ling Ruoke looked pleadingly at her husband, then at the nurse. She used to think the scenes of other women breastfeeding were heartwarming. She always imagined how happy mothers must feel when they were breastfeeding, so she had been eagerly anticipating this moment. But it turned out she didn't have enough milk. And "insufficient" was an understatement; it was better than nothing.
The nurse, holding the baby, smiled at her and comforted her, saying, "It'll probably get better in a couple of days; many people experience this. They say having someone suckle it in can help. Why don't you have your husband try it?"
Ling Ruoke blushed deeply, thinking to herself that this nurse really had no sense of propriety.
Huo Qingfeng looked at his wife's soft breasts with some surprise, imagining the sensation of sucking them, and asked the nurse, "Is it really okay to do this?" He had been holding back for a while, as intercourse was not allowed in the later stages of pregnancy. Although they couldn't actually have sex yet, being able to indulge in a little intimacy would be nice.
"The nurse was just joking!" Ling Ruoke shouted hurriedly, afraid that he would actually do it in front of the nurse. She knew that he might really do it.
The nurse laughed heartily. "Your wife is so shy. She's already had a baby, and she still blushes like crazy just talking about it. But that method really does work."
Huo Qingfeng was afraid his wife's face would really bleed, so he didn't dare to beat around the bush any longer. Once the nurse left, he could suckle however he wanted. "But what about the baby now?"
"Let's drink the formula first." She handed the child to Huo Qingfeng and went to make the formula herself.
When Ruoke was pregnant, Huo Qingfeng had read a lot about things pregnant women and babies needed to be careful about, including how to hold a baby. But when this tiny, soft thing actually lay in his palm, his whole body tensed up like a fully drawn bow. The baby's entire body wasn't even as wide as his palm, and its head didn't even fill his hand. Its little waist, hands, and feet were so soft, it seemed like a tiny eel that might slip through his fingers at any moment. He wanted to tighten his fingers, but it was just too soft and tender; he didn't dare to use any force, afraid of hurting it.
"Wife, what should we do?" Huo Qingfeng asked his wife anxiously, holding the small bomb in his arms. He could easily lift things weighing over 100 kilograms, but now, lifting a child weighing just over 3 kilograms was already making his arms sore and stiff.
Seeing his tense expression, Ling Ruoke couldn't help but chuckle. Her almost omnipotent husband had been subdued by her newborn son. "You don't need to be so nervous, relax a little."
"No, it's going to fall if I relax!" Huo Qingfeng shouted anxiously, his eyes fixed on the small bomb in his hand, his body still stiff and afraid to move.
Ling Ruoke covered her mouth with her hand, secretly chuckling. She reached out and lifted the blanket beside her, saying to her poor father, "Put him down, let him lie here."
Huo Qingfeng hurriedly agreed and carefully moved his feet, about to put him down, when suddenly his palm, which was supporting the little bottom, felt a warmth. There it was—his son's pee had landed right in his palm. "Wife, he peed!"
See? Just as expected, the son and father don't get along!
Ling Ruoke finally couldn't help but laugh out loud, which aggravated her wound and caused her a sharp pain. "Then put him down and change his diaper."
"I can't." Huo Qingfeng finally carefully put the child down, feeling as if his arms didn't belong to him. Looking at the little baby kicking its little legs and arms, he breathed a big sigh of relief.
Thankfully, the nurse returned in time and helped the irresponsible parents change the baby's diaper. Then she picked up the baby and put the pacifier in his little mouth. Feeding doesn't need to be taught, so the little guy immediately started gulping it down.
Huo Qingfeng stared wide-eyed at the nursing baby, and as he looked, he thought it wasn't so bad after all; in fact, it seemed quite cute. Looking again, he noticed this part resembled him, that part resembled his wife, and the more he looked, the more beautiful it seemed.
The little guy ate and drank his fill, and even let out a burp. He stopped struggling and soon fell asleep.
"He's still not very strong and needs to sleep more so he can grow faster," the nurse explained kindly, noticing the worried expressions on the faces of the newly-minted parents.
After a while, another nurse brought over the crib. The nurse put the baby in the crib, gave some instructions, and then left.
Huo Qingfeng sat on a stool by the bed, gripping the edge of the crib, watching his child with great curiosity. Although his words contained much disdain, looking at the tiny baby, and thinking about how his and his wife's lovemaking had resulted in a tiny tadpole, how it had been carried for ten months, and how it had grown little by little... the more he thought about it, the softer his heart became; the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't help but marvel at how miraculous life truly was!
While Huo Qingfeng was in the restroom, her mother-in-law had already told her what the colonel had done the night before. Ling Ruoke was both amused and annoyed, but she also understood that although he said that, he would probably still be the one who loved the child the most in the future. "What, don't you think he's ugly anymore? You think he's cute?"
Upon hearing this, Huo Qingfeng knew that his mother had already told Ruo Ke. So he chuckled and snuggled closer to his wife. "I just can't accept the change from daughter to son all at once. Our child will definitely be good-looking. If our combination isn't good-looking, other people's children will probably be an eyesore."
"You're so vain!" Ling Ruoke scolded him with a grin. But in a parent's heart, their own child is always the best. "However, I also think our child is the most handsome."
Huo Qingfeng gently hugged his wife and kissed her lips. "Wife, thank you for bearing my children!" He used to think it was pretentious when he saw men in movies and TV shows saying this so affectionately. But now that it was his own life, he understood that the feelings were genuine.
"Then you must take good care of us, mother and child, from now on." Ling Ruoke accepted her husband's gratitude with a smile. She didn't tell him that being able to bear children for him was also a kind of happiness for her.
"Okay. I'll only be good to you and the child." These are the only two people he needs to cherish for the rest of his life.
Ling Ruoke smiled sweetly, feeling that her life was already complete. She had married the man she loved, and now she had the fruit of their love. Apart from hoping that they would be safe, healthy and happy, she had no other wishes.
Huo Qingfeng then remembered what the nurse had said. So he ran over, closed the door, and pounced on the bedside. His eyes were fixed on his wife's chest, like a hungry wolf eyeing a delicious lamb.
Ling Ruoke was genuinely frightened by him and shrank back. "What do you want to do?"
"Didn't the nurse say that if I suckle, the milk will come out? Our son doesn't have much strength, I'll help him suckle and it'll be fine. I guess something's blocked, it'll clear up if I clear it." He said this with an eager look on his face, and anyone who didn't know the situation would think he was about to do something important.
Ling Ruoke blushed and glared at him fiercely. The nurse was just joking, and he got all worked up! "The nurse was just kidding, you actually believed her!"
"This is no joke, it's true. If you don't believe me, I'll find the information for you another day." As he spoke, he reached out to lift his wife's clothes.
Ling Ruoke flinched slightly, afraid of aggravating her wound, so she didn't dare move too much. She looked at him, her eyes filled with doubt. She vaguely seemed to have heard this saying before, but wasn't sure if it had any scientific basis. "Really? You're not lying to me?"
"I would never lie to my wife, no matter who I lie to." With that, he lifted up her underwear and leaned his head down.
Ling Ruoke thought to herself, even if it's a folk remedy without scientific basis, she might as well give it a try, since he's her husband after all. However, the feeling was truly embarrassing, and she didn't know if it was because she had just given birth, but she was unusually sensitive. She had to cover her mouth, afraid that she would make a sound.
Huo Qingfeng took a few sniffs, then looked up and said with a wicked smile, "So sweet!"
Ling Ruoke reached out and pinched him, her big, watery eyes glaring at him shyly.
Huo Qingfeng almost lost his temper when his wife gave him a seductive look. He leaned in and pressed his face against the back of her neck, whispering, "Wife, don't seduce me."
"rogue."
The child's name had been decided long ago. His formal name, Huo Feiyang, was chosen by his grandfather. However, a nickname hadn't been decided yet, or rather, Ling Ruoke hadn't reached an agreement with her husband. Since Huo Qingfeng had already determined it was a girl, the names he considered were all feminine. She had thought of boy's names, but because her husband didn't like boys, she hadn't told him.
"Honey, Grandpa has chosen the baby's formal name, how about I choose the nickname?" Ling Ruoke was afraid that he might be disappointed and give the baby an unpleasant name. And she wasn't overthinking it; her husband could be quite childish at times.
Huo Qingfeng had painstakingly come up with a nickname for his daughter, but now it was completely useless, and he was extremely frustrated. However, he dared not show it in front of his wife. If he displeased her, he would be the first to be punished. "Okay, I'll listen to my wife."
Ling Ruoke grabbed his hand and pressed it against her face, rubbing it gently. "Honey, you're so sweet. I've decided, let's call him Ping An as his nickname. Fu An, Ping An, two brothers, right?"
Huo Qingfeng naturally understood his wife's thoughts; she hoped that he could return safely from every mission and be back with her and their child. "Okay, let's name him Ping An (Peaceful)."
And so, the son's name was decided.
For Ling Ruoke, who had just given birth, life was blissful. The only downside was that she had a C-section halfway through her natural childbirth, so the upper incision hurt with the slightest movement, and the lower incision was even more painful, making her want to scream for her parents when she went to the toilet. Fortunately, she had a high pain tolerance, otherwise she really would have cried.
Another day passed, and the wound had healed considerably. Two more days, and I could be discharged.
However, Ling Ruoke's breast milk was still sparse, and Huo Qingfeng's efforts were in vain. Fortunately, Xiao Ping'an was happy to drink formula, holding the bottle with his little hands and drinking contentedly. The child was also well-behaved; unless he was hungry or needed a diaper change, he would either sleep quietly or stare around with wide eyes.
Yang Ziyun doted on him to the core, calling him her precious darling every time she held him. She had already called home to share the good news when Ling Ruoke gave birth. She figured Grandpa and Great-Grandpa would arrive in the next couple of days.
"Mom, I still don't have enough breast milk. What should I do?" Ling Ruoke was still worried about this. Although the little one drank formula happily, formula was not as good as breast milk. But ever since that one time, the little one would cry whenever he saw her breasts. As soon as she gave him a bottle, he would drink it happily, which made Ling Ruoke very frustrated.
Ling Ruoke was very anxious about this matter and even got a little agitated.
Yang Ziyun finally shifted her gaze from the child. "Don't worry. I'll give you a good make-up meal after you're discharged from the hospital."
Ling Ruoke thought that this was the only way.
The day the baby was born, we already shared the good news. These past two days, Xiao Fu'an has been calling constantly, asking about his little brother and saying in his baby voice that he wants to play with him. At first, he cried and insisted on seeing his brother, and it took a lot of calming down.
In the evening, Ling Ruoke and Huo Qingfeng were playing with the baby by the crib when their phone suddenly rang.
Huo Qingfeng took it, glanced at it, and handed it to her. "It's Yuan Meng."
Ling Ruoke answered the call and they chatted about their children. As two women who were both mothers, their conversation inevitably revolved around their children.
Towards the end of the phone call, Yuan Meng said in a somewhat heavy tone, "Ruo Ke, although it's really not the right time to tell you this, I still have to tell you some unfortunate news."
Ling Ruoke was stunned for a moment, and her heart sank immediately.
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